Application to enlarge house is carried over Need for permit to be considered

John Lombardo of Poplar Drive is seeking to add a two-story
addition to the south side of his house at the corner of Poplar
Drive and Laurel Avenue. If the board approves his application, he
would add 1,600 square feet to his 1,200 square-foot
home.

The application was brought forth at the board's meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 30, and was scheduled to be carried over to Tuesday,
Nov. 6.

Lombardo said he and his family need the extra space. He has a
living room but no dining room, which he would like to use when he
entertains guests. He has a small 99-square foot master bedroom and
a smaller master bathroom to go with it. He has no garage and,
except for one closet and a small amount of attic space, no storage
room. And he has no garage, so when he has company he has guests
park o n the grass.

Were the board to approve, he would construct a two-car garage
and a 240 square- foot breezeway connecting it to the house. He
would enlarge his bedroom by 221 s quare feet and enlarge his
bathroom. He would add a walk-in-closet and he would add a bedroom.
And he would build a new living room and convert the current living
room into a dining room.

Board Chairman William Neville said he is not concerned about
the lot coverage. It will increase from 12 percent to 18 percent,
well within the 25 percent of lot coverage allowed in the R-4
zone.

Considering Setback

However, the board will have to consider the frontyard setback
along Laurel Avenue and Lombardo's need for a development permit.
The house conforms with the required 50-yard setback on Laurel
Avenue but that will change if Lombardo is allowed to build onto
his house.

With the addition, the house would be 35 feet away from the
road. The house is not in compliance with the setback along Poplar
Avenue, but that setback will not be changed.

However, Neville said Lombardo would need a development permit,
which is require d by ordinance, if he wanted to build the
addition. The federal government allow s residents in townships to
buy federal flood insurance if they live in communities that have
flood damage prevention laws. In Long Hill, homeowners seeking to
make alterations valued at least 50 percent of the house must seek
a development permit.

Some board members said they might be inclined to give Lombardo
the permit but t hey weren't sure it was in Lombardo's best
interests. Part of his property is in the 100-year flood zone and
his basement is a few inches below the required floodplain
level.

Board Attorney Barry Hoffman and Township Engineer Gregg
Williams thought Lombardo might be forced to bring his entire house
up to code, which might include removing the basement.

Should See Lawyer

Neville said Lombardo should consult with a lawyer and
Construction Official Mary Ellen Balady to see if Lombardo would
have to remove his basement if he got the permit. They asked him to
report back to them at the Tuesday, Nov. 6 meeting so the board
could make a decision to grant or deny the waiver.

However, Balady later said Lombardo does not have to worry about
bringing the old part of the house up to code. She said the board's
concerns would have applied three years ago, before the state
changed the code to encourage improvements to old, noncomplying
buildings in urban areas. Balady said developers were afraid to
make improvements on old buildings that did not comply with the
updated codes .

Now, however, developers do not have to update their building
and construction codes if they want to seek a development
permit."We do not have to look at the rest of the house," Balady
said, though she added Lombardo will have to put smoke detectors in
the basement.

Deck Gets Green Light

In other news, the board approved Michael and Kristen Weaver's
application to build a 600 square-foot deck on the back of their
Pine Street house. The Weavers w anted to build a deck but the
board members said they were concerned about the lot coverage,
which is already above the maximum 25 percent permitted. The lot in
crease would have increased from 33 to 37 percent if the
application was approve d without modifications.

At the prior hearing, Mr. Weaver said he and his wife were going
to remove the driveway turnaround, which is in the front of their
house, at a future date. However, Mrs. Weaver said they might not
be able to afford it and asked the board not to condition their
approval on the turnaround's removal.

The board members said they would not agree, but said the timing
of the turnaround's removal was open to negotiation. At first,
Hoffman said the couple should have the turnaround removed six
months after they completed their deck. Since the y have a year
before their deck permit expires, Mr. and Mrs. Weaver could have
removed the deck within an 18-month time frame.

Mr. and Mrs. Weaver said they should have two years to remove
the turnaround. Hoffman said the turnaround should be removed much
sooner.

"People tend to forget (their commitments)," he said.

Board member Patrick Jones suggested board members compromise
and they agreed to a one-year time frame.

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In recent weeks, Long Hill Township and Watchung Borough passed ordinances allowing their police departments to be able to apply for surplus equipment from the Department of Defense. Long Hill recently procured a Humvee to use in times of flooding, which Watchung states as the reason they are getting into the program. However, in cities around the country, police forces have used the program to obtain military gear, such as weapons and armor.
For more background, go to the link below
http://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/watchung-police-department-hopes-to-receive-equipment-from-department-of/article_12ad002a-92b3-5449-a2cc-4b2cf0ce4339.html